Keywords to Use, Abuse, or Disreguard Completely
by ZizhunWriter
Summary: I asked acoupletshort on tumblr (Kedi here) for prompts where she gives me random words, and I try to incorporate them all into a one-shot. This is where I'll collect them. Check at the begining of each chapter for the words she gave me/ a short summary.
1. Hospital

**Author's Note: All of these promps are from acoupletshort on tumblr (Kedi here). I hope you all enjoy!**

Keywords to use, abuse, or disregard completely: silver, summer, gossip, freckles, coffee, education, night, wings

Summary: Archie is waiting in the hospital, worried for Ruby's safety

Characters: Archie, Ruby, Granny, and Marco

* * *

Worry was the only thing consuming his mind as he sat outside the hospital room, resisting the urge to pace or barge in to make sure she was alright. In fact, he would be in there right now, if Ruby hadn't told him, quite forcefully, to leave the room. Apparently, his nerves had been too much of a strain for her, but if something happened to his wife or …

Archie was jerked out of his thoughts as a Styrofoam cup of coffee was gently placed into his hands. "She'll be fine, Archie," Marco tried to reassure him.

"Of course she'll be fine," Granny spoke up from where she was knitting, trying to ignore her grandson-in-law's distress. "Ruby's a tough woman." He nodded in agreement, but still was unable to shake of his fear as he took a sip of the beverage. "You really shouldn't drink coffee this late at night, especially when you're so wound up," the older woman advised.

"He wasn't going to get any sleep anyway," Marco pointed out. "And it's the closest thing to tea I could find." Granny shrugged, and continued to knit the silver blanket as Archie drained the cup. Once it was gone, he was left, yet again, with nothing to distract him from the pain Ruby must be going through.

Marco had sat down beside Granny, and the two of them were whispering quietly, probably about him. Still, he wished they'd stop gossiping; he'd seen Marco texting someone, and by now at least half the town probably knew Ruby was in the hospital. Sure, they meant well, but it just made the whole situation that much more stressful.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and he stood, pacing back and forth. Marco and Granny shared a worried look that he knew they thought he didn't see, before his best friend spoke up. "Archie, she really will be fine. The doctors know what they're doing." He didn't respond, just kept wearing a hole into the floor as if his life depended on it.

"Alright, that's it," Granny said, finally fed up with him. "Do you need me to educate you, Doctor? Because last time I checked …"

"That's the problem!" he nearly shouted. "I am a doctor, I remember going to medical school! I know all the terrible things that could happen to her." Then he was sobbing as he sunk back into his chair, finally ceasing the pacing that had annoyed Granny so much.

Marco sat down next to him, gently putting an arm around his shoulder. "Archie, I know you're worried, but I think you're overreacting a bit. She'll be just fine, you know that."

It was true, Archie did know that in all likelihood, Ruby would make it through this. That didn't help, though; nothing could stem his irrational fear that something terrible was going to happen to her. "Here, you're sweating," Marco said, gently helping his friend take off his sweater vest. Archie had rushed to the hospital straight from work, and hadn't had time to change into something more adept at keeping away the summer heat.

"I know Marco," he sighed, trying to calm himself down. "It's just, if something happened to her …"

Suddenly, the door to Ruby's room opened, and all three of them were on their feet without realizing it. Now, Archie's face wasn't the only one covered in worry. "She's fine," the nurse said, a huge smile on her face. "You can come in now."

Archie brushed past her, only to freeze in the doorway. "Hey, Archie," Ruby greeted weakly, but his attention wasn't on her, but the wailing little boy she held gingerly in her arms.

"He's …" Archie said, trying and utterly failing to find the right words to describe their precious newborn son.

"Would you like to hold him?" Ruby gently prodded. He nodded mutely, and then one of the nurses gently placed the boy in his arms. Tears sprang to his eyes, this time out of pure joy, as he gazed at their son. He thought he'd known what love at first sight was when he'd met Ruby, but now he truly realized the meaning of the word. He'd never cared so strongly for someone the first time they met as he did for the little boy crying in his arms.

"And you said you were worried about Ruby," Granny muttered good-naturedly from behind him. He didn't respond, still failing to find words to express the awe of this moment.

"He was worried about me? What for?" Ruby asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Something about you dying in childbirth," Marco stated, and now that he said it aloud to Ruby, Archie realized how foolish that had been. Ruby smirked slightly, showing she also thought it was silly for him to jump to that conclusion.

"He's beautiful," Archie exclaimed, finally finding his words, even if they couldn't properly convey his emotions.

"Yes, he is," Ruby replied, and then, realizing his wife probably wanted to see their son too, he moved to stand beside her. "I bet he's going to look just like you. He'll be a ginger," she predicted, gazing at the adorable boy.

"Which me? Because I really hope he gets the freckles I had as a boy instead of my cricket wings." She laughed then, just like he knew she would, and his smile widened, if that was even possible.

"I didn't know you had freckles," she commented, and then they just stared at their baby together, smiling widely and not caring how much it hurt to do so.

"So, what are you going to call him?" Granny inquired, reminding the new parents that she and Marco were still in the room.

"Um, well …" Ruby glanced at him, obviously unsure whether she should mention the name she'd been thinking of for their son. She thought he didn't know the name she was considering, but he'd overheard Belle and her discussing how he'd react to it. Well, neither of them had thought he'd suggest the name himself.

"What about Peter?" he asked, and tears were almost instantly streaming down her face.

"Yes, Peter," she agreed. It was only fitting to name Ruby's first son after her first love. She thought he'd be hurt; that Archie would assume that she still loved Peter more, but he understood. He knew Ruby loved him, and that it was important for her to name their son after Peter, to honor him.

They both looked back at little Peter Hopper, smiling even as the young boy continued to wail. He was so precious, so perfect, that everything else seemed to fade away. The panic attack, the fact that they'd be the main town gossip for at least a month, and even the very room they were standing in disappeared. Only one thought was prevalent in Archie's mind; he was a father.


	2. Sailing Trip Gone Awry

**Author's Note: This one contains a bit of torture.**

Keywords to use, abuse, or disregard completely: pulse, taste, silence, trouble, glass, past, spooky, unintentional

Summary: Archie and Killian are captured by a stranger.

Characters: Archie, Killian, David, and Emma

* * *

His pulse sped up the second the door to the basement was opened, light flooding the room he and Killian were trapped in. Archie could now see the anger in his companion's eyes, probably matched by the fear in his own. Try as he might, Archie couldn't force himself to be brave in the face of this danger.

Their captor walked down the steps, and made a beeline for Archie. Unable to move as his hands were chained to the wall; all he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and hope this stranger wasn't about to beat him senseless. Luckily, all the man did was rip off the gag, and Archie sputtered, trying to get the taste of the dirty cloth out of his mouth.

"Now, why don't you calm down?" the man suggested as Archie failed to regain control over his breathing. Truthfully, he was panicking, and it was only half from this situation. His past of being imprisoned aboard Killian's ship didn't reassure him that this situation was going to end well. "I'm not going to hurt you; so long as you cooperate." Archie heard a muffled protest from Killian as the pirate tried to defend him from the threat, but their captor ignored him. "I'm simply trying to find someone, and I think you and your friend might be able to help me do that."

Ah, and he'd decided to take the gag off Archie because he could tell which one of the men was the weak link. "Who are you looking for, and why?" the psychiatrist asked, trying and failing to keep his voice from trembling.

"I'm looking for a young woman who can turn into a werewolf. As for why, well, that's really none of your business, is it?" A chill shot down his spine as he realized this was pretty much exactly what had happened to him aboard Killian's ship; except this time he feared he'd get more than a few bruises. After the guilt he felt for betraying Belle, he'd promised himself he'd never betray anyone again. He couldn't give in this time, not when someone's life was on the line again. Archie tried not to think about how his crush on Ruby might help him hold out for longer; since that only made him feel guiltier for betraying Belle.

"I can't let you hurt her," he objected, voice still trembling as he tried not to imagine all the terrible things that were about to happen to him.

"Who said anything about hurting her?" the man asked; but Archie wasn't a fool. If he was willing to torture two strangers to get what he wanted, then surely he was planning on hurting Ruby. "Besides, you really should be more worried about the pain you'll go through if you don't talk soon." He pulled out a knife, fiddling with it before putting pressing the blade against Archie's neck, gently enough where he wouldn't cause bleeding but firm enough to indicate that he would enjoy torturing his prisoner. It reminded Archie of how Killian played with his hook, and he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the similarities of this situation compared to his time aboard the _Jolly Rodger_. "Now come on, where do I find her?"

Archie opted for silence, knowing any response he tried to make would have him stammering in fear. At least this way, he could defy his captor without looking any weaker than he already did.

Soon, the knife was removed from his neck, and instead he felt a sharp pain in his chest as a line was carved into his flesh. He cried out, jerking away and hitting his head against the rough wall of the basement. "Care to try again?" the man questioned, voice indicating he didn't care how much he was making Archie suffer.

"Please, I can't," Archie protested, struggling and failing to keep his breathing even as the now-bloody knife headed back toward his chest. "Please," he begged.

"All you have to do is tell me, and the pain will end." Archie shook his head, and screamed as yet again the knife sliced away at his chest, leaving a second trail of blood next to the first. "It really is that simple. Just tell me what I want to know, and I'll …"

Suddenly, there was a loud thud, and Archie's eyes flew open. His torturer lay unconscious on the ground, with an irate Killian standing over him. "You alright, mate?" the pirate asked, already moving to undo the chains that firmly attached Archie to the wall. He used a paper clip to do so, and Archie couldn't help but wonder why Killian had it on him at the time of their capture. He didn't think many people used paperclips while sailing.

"Fine," Archie said, sticking to the one syllable response as he could keep his residual fear out of his voice better that way. Killian finished freeing Archie's left hand, and moved on to his right as the psychiatrist let his arm drop back to his side.

"Well, I will say this mate, you do have a knack for getting yourself into trouble, especially when it comes to kidnapping." Archie knew Killian was just trying to lighten the mood, but his words still sent an involuntary shutter up his spine. "I'm really sorry about this. I wanted the voyage to be fun. Getting kidnapped was completely unintentional, I assure you." Killian finished freeing his right hand, and then took a step back, aware that Archie was slightly claustrophobic. After his ordeal in the mines and as a prisoner aboard the _Jolly Roger_, Archie couldn't stand being trapped; since he now associated that feeling with near-death experiences.

"It's not your fault," Archie reassured him. It was ironic, though, that Killian's attempt to apologize for kidnapping him had ended with both of them captured.

Suddenly, the man started to stir, and Archie jumped back. Killian nonchalantly hit the man over the head again, sending him back into the world of unconsciousness. "Mate, you want to go upstairs and find our phones? We should call Emma or David. I'll take care of him." Killian's eyes spoke the words he wasn't; the pirate was attempting to get Archie as far away from their captor as possible, because he could see how on edge the psychiatrist was.

"Sure, I'll go call them." Archie practically flew up the stairs, eager to escape his claustrophobia and fear. He reached the upper floor of Gold's cabin; the place their captor had taken them to interrogate them, and sighed with relief. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, and the walls no longer seemed like they were closing in on him.

Archie shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, and then winced from the pain that caused to the part he'd slammed into the wall. Then, he started to search for his and Killian's belongings. They had to be somewhere nearby, and Archie was confident that he could find them without …

Suddenly, the door handle started to rattle, and he froze, fear slamming back into him with full force as he realized that their captor might be working with others. He started to back away as a figure moved into full view of one of the windows. Having been unable to open the door, the person broke the glass, sending shards flying. They landed on the rug, and then were crushed into tinier pieces as the intruder stepped on them. "Archie, you alright?" Emma asked, concern filling her voice. "You look white as a sheet."

"You just spooked me a little," he lied as his heart pounded in his chest.

"Emma, Gold's going to kill us," David spoke up as he climbed through the window, obviously having missed his daughter address Archie. "We don't even know if they're … Archie! What happened?"

"We were captured. Killian's in the basement with our assailant." David dashed off to check on Killian, but Emma stayed behind. "What did he do to you?" she asked, anger in her voice as she noticed the blood-stained tears in his shirt.

"Our sailing trip didn't go quite as we planned it," he said, trying to joke to ease his own fears and Emma's anger. "Really though, I'll be fine." Before Emma could question him further, Killian and David came up from the basement, lugging the stranger in between them.

"Killian says he was trying to find Ruby," David informed Emma as they made their way to the police car. "We think he's a werewolf hunter."

"Really?" Emma asked her signature question. "A werewolf hunter. For once can't people disappear for normal reasons? Like maybe a bad storm, or misplacing a map. Is anything so mundane even capable of happening here?"

Archie zoned out, ignoring David's answer and instead trying to shake off the terror that still had a grip on him. Something touched his shoulder, causing his head to jerk up, and realize that Killian had laid his hand on Archie's shoulder, concern evident in his expression. "You were really brave, mate."

Archie nodded, and then Killian left to help David restrain their prisoner. He supposed he had been brave, but that didn't really matter. He'd been forced to relive some of the worst moments and worst decisions of his life, and he wouldn't be able to recover from that in the blink of an eye.

Although, he realized as he slid into the back of the squad car next to Killian, perhaps he could recover eventually. After all, he'd forgiven Killian for torturing him. Maybe, one day, he could forgive himself for betraying Belle.


End file.
